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One of the Weirdest Pregnancy Symptoms Is Actually True!

There are a lot of old wives' tales about pregnancy—what happens to you during and what happens after. It can be alarming while you're pregnant, because what do you mean I'm going to crave pies made out of pickles and my hair will grow in an entirely different texture and color?

A lot of those too-weird-to-be-true symptoms are just that...not true. At least, not for everybody, which is important to note because no pregnancy—or woman's body—is the same.

Researchers measured the arch height and foot length of 49 women while they were pregnant, and again five months after they'd delivered. About 60 to 70 percent of the women had longer feet (0.1 to 0.4 inches) and shorter arches after pregnancy, and 11 of the women wore bigger shoe sizes. Pregnant women's feet may flatten out because of the extra pounds they carry around for the better part of a year; the change could also be due to relaxin, a hormone that helps loosen up the joints and ligaments in preparation for delivery.

After my little ones were born, I did not end up with bigger feet. But during pregnancy, my nose got bigger! This is apparently normal: Nose swelling can be due to increased estrogen levels, which helps blood flow to the mucous membranes and plumps up your nose as a result. (It shrinks back to its original size, though!)

What weird pregnancy symptoms have you heard about or experienced yourself?